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A Level Psychology > Perspectives > Flashcards

Perspectives Flashcards

1
Q

What are the two perspectives in psychology?

A

Behaviourist
Psychodynamic

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2
Q

What are the principles of the behaviourist perspective?

A

The believe everyone is born TABULA RASA (blank slate) and all behaviours are learned from the environment (no inherited traits or prior knowledge)

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3
Q

What are the three key concepts of the behaviourist perspective?

A

Classical conditioning
Operant Conditioning
Social Learning Theory

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4
Q

What experiment discovered classical conditioning?

A

Pavlov’s dogs

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5
Q

What is a neutral stimulus?

A

One that at first elicits no response

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6
Q

What was the neutral stimulus in Pavlov’s experiment?

A

The introduction of the bell ringing

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7
Q

What is an unconditioned stimulus?

A

One that leads to an automatic response

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8
Q

What is the unconditioned stimulus in Pavlov’s experiment?

A

The food because the dogs automatically begin salivating

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9
Q

What is an unconditioned response?

A

An automatic response to a stimulus

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10
Q

What is the unconditioned response in Pavlov’s experiment?

A

The dogs salivating for the food

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11
Q

What’s a conditioned stimulus?

A

One that can trigger a conditioned response

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12
Q

What is the conditioned stimulus in Pavlov’s study?

A

The ringing of the bell which led to the conditioned response of salivating

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13
Q

What is classical conditioning?

A

Learning through association

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14
Q

What happens in Pavlov’s study during conditioning?

A

During conditioning the bell is rung before the food is bought out. The next time the dog hears the bell it has a conditioned response of salivating to the stimulus because it thinks food is coming

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15
Q

Which psychologist carried out the Little Albert study/experiment?

A

John Watson

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16
Q

What happened in the Little Albert study?

A

Deliberately conditioned to have a phobia of animals by hitting a loud metal gong each time he tried to pet it.

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17
Q

How does classical conditioning work?

A

Due to a specific stimulus. Therefore it can be learnt and unlearnt

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18
Q

How does Aversion therapy use classical conditioning?

A

It helps create a conditioned negative response to an undesirable stimulus

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19
Q

Explain how is Aversion Therapy is used for an alcohol addiction?

A

It helps produce an unpleasant association like nausea (using an undesirable stimulus such as a. drug called an emetic)
Repeated paintings will result in a learned response of aversion from alcohol

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20
Q

What is operant conditioning?

A

It involves learning from the consequences of our behaviour

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21
Q

What are the 4 key terms associated with operant conditioning?

A

Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Positive punishment
Negative punishment

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22
Q

What is positive reinforcement?

A

Receiving an award or getting something pleasant for good behaviour/action

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23
Q

What is negative reinforcement?

A

Behaviour is reinforced by avoiding a potential punishment

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24
Q

Give an example of negative reinforcement?

A

Taking medicine when your ill to avoid pain
Why you do homework - avoid detention

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25
What’s an example of positive reinforcement?
Getting stickers for exhibiting good behaviour
26
What is positive punishment?
Behaviour is stopped (person gets punished) so consequence learned
27
Give an example of positive punishment?
A stimulus is added (eg. Scolding) to decrease the behaviour
28
What is negative punishment?
Behaviour is stopped (remove stimulus) so consequence is learnt
29
Give an example of negative punishment?
A stimulus is removed (eg. Favourite toy/phone) to decrease the behaviour
30
Who came up with operant conditioning?
Skinner
31
What was Skinners experiment?
The Skinner’s box which used rats to test positive and negative reinforcement
32
How did Skinner test positive reinforcement?
A hungry rate was placed in the cage and every time he activated the lever, a food pellet fell into the food dispenser (positive reinforcement). The rats quickly learned to go straight to the lever after a few times of being put in the box. This suggests that positive reinforcement increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated.
33
How did Skinner test negative reinforcement?
A rat was placed in a cage in which they were subjected to an uncomfortable electrical current (floor) As they moved around the cage, the rat hit the lever, which immediately switched off the electrical current (negative reinforcement). The rats quickly learned to go straight to the lever after a few times of being put in the box. This suggests that negative reinforcement increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated.
34
Who came up with the Social Learning theory?
Bandura
35
What is the definition of the Social Learning theory?
We learn by observing and imitating those around us - people can become a model for our behaviour
36
How can the Social Learning theory explain a persons fear of spiders?
If a significant adult (eg. Parent) shows a phobia of an object a child may learn to copy the behaviour because they have seen and therefore learnt to show to same phobic response
37
What are the strengths of the behaviourist perspective?
- can learn and unlearn conditioned behaviours (useful practical applications like aversion therapy) - Takes into account cognitive processes - highlights role of nurture in learning ( important influence of the environment) - Focus on observable behaviour in a controlled environment helps scientific credibility
38
What are the weaknesses of the behaviourist perspective?
- Individual differences aren’t taken into account ( can be difficult to apply) - Ignores the influence of nature in behaviour (eg, failing to take into account that genetics and biology put limits in learning abilities) - the lessons can be difficult to apply - by favouring lab experiments research can lack ecological validity so fails to resemble true to life behaviours
39
What are the 4 main concepts of the psychodynamic perspective?
Different levels of consciousness How the unconscious reveals itself Instinctual drives Triparte model of personality 'psyche'
40
What is the analogy used to describe the different levels of consciousness?
Iceberg analogy
41
Describe the iceberg analogy in full?
On the surface = conscious mind - Personality, thought and memory Just below the surface = preconscious mind - Stored knaoelrdge and memories Deep below surface = unconscious mind - fear, unacceptable desires, violent motives, irrational wishes, odpeius/electra complex
42
According to the iceberg analogy what is just on the surface?
Conscious mind - Personality, thought and memories
43
According to the iceberg analogy what is just below the surface?
Preconscious mind - Stored knowledge and memories
44
According to the iceberg analogy what is deep below the surface?
Unconscious mind - fear, unacceptable desires, violent motives, irrational wishes and the odepius/electra complex
45
What is Psychoanalysis?
A form of psychotherapy that helps patients become aware of long repressed unconscious feelings, desires and impulses by using techniques to access the unconscious mind
46
What techniques of psychotherapy are used to access the unconscious mind?
Hypnosis Dream Interpretation Free Association
47
What is hypnosis?
Freud’s earliest therapy to bring repressed memories into consciousness.
48
What is free association?
Patient is encouraged to voice all thoughts & memories which may indicate unconscious connections.
49
What is dream interpretation?
Dreams give clues to psychodynamic processes which motivate our behaviour.
50
What is a Freudian slip?
an unintentional error which reveals unconscious feelings/beliefs
51
What is Libido?
A person’s instinctual drive towards survival and replacement of energy requires translation into more specific terms such as 'food, love, security, sex, etc.
52
Libido is also known as what?
The pleasure principle
53
What is the pleasure principle?
The attempt to keep excitation or tension as low as possible. In practice this is the desire for immediate gratification.
54
What do instinctual drives require?
Require immediate gratification
55
Which three parts make up the tripartite model of the psyche?
Id Ego Superego
56
What is the ID?
It's the pleasure principljwhich is the selfish part of the personality which requires instant satisfaction of sex/aggression Present from birth
57
What is the EGO?
The reality principle - conscious rational part go the personality which attempts to mediate the demands of the id and superego
58
What is the SUPEREGO?
Morality principle - moral part of the principle which is concerned with right and wrong/conscience
59
What are the strengths of the psychodynamic perspective?
Useful applications - long term deeply analytical therapy has been shown to have subsequent long term positives - understand motives of behaviour - Insight into what drives them
60
What are the weaknesses of the psychodynamic perspective?
Low population validity - difficult to generalise results to other groups (unscientific and untestable theories) Not scientific - not based on enough quantitative data and experimental research

A Level Psychology (22 decks)

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